Destiny's Binding
by Yukishiro Madoka
Summary: [Oneshot] Art is a world that only we artists can create, a world of beauty...a world of our own. There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. One sky, one destiny...[NaminéxRoxas]


Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. 

A/N. My very first Naminé/Roxas ficcie! x.x; Oi...after reading it over for a while, I realized that it...well, kinda sucks. T.T

My friend Emily kept on nagging me about posting up this ficcie. T.T HAPPY NOW? -shakes fist- u.u

Eeee! Naminé/Roxas is so cute! xDDD I used to think neutral of this couple, but after reading a lot of good fanfics, I started liking it too. :DDD

Tried to keep everyone in-character. :D Hope you likey! x33 Drop a review and tell me if it sucks or not, oki? x3333

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**xXxXxXxXxX**

Roxas stifled a yawn, shaking his cramped hand slightly to ease some of the soreness. He sighed inwardly, briefly looking over his essay before stuffing it into his backpack. He then checked his agenda, his azure blue eyes flickering from each assignment in each subject. A sigh of relief and satisfaction escaped his lips, and he smiled at the thought of having the day all to himself, without any pressure from homework. School was such a drag...

He sneaked a quick peak at the clock, and groaned inwardly as he realized school would end in about a quarter of an hour. He folded his arms on his desk and rested his chin upon them, his aquamarine eyes glazing over from boredom.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

He couldn't wait for school to be over.

Roxas glanced over to his right, his eyes widening slightly as he watched a blonde, pale girl bend her head a bit lower over her desk, her right hand gracefully arcing on a page of her sketchpad and seemingly leaving behind a trail of beautiful elegance.

Naminé. Yes, that was her name. Naminé.

Naminé was the new student in school. She had just moved into Twilight Town a few weeks ago. Unlike most girls, Naminé was shy and quiet. She didn't gossip, she wasn't girly, she didn't like shopping, she didn't wear make-up, she wasn't interested in boys...

She was different. And Roxas, for one, was grateful for it.

There was something about Naminé that intrigued and mystified him. Roxas wanted to understand this mysterious, engimatic girl, but often wondered if he could be able to look into her heart.

Everyone thought lowly of her, except for her friends, Sora and Kairi - which were also his own friends. Everyone thought she was too different. When it came to girls, it meant shopping, parties, boys, gossip, make-up, boys, gossip, and boys...

However, when it came to Naminé, it meant everything that girls and boys alike didn't find appealing. And that was perhaps the reason why everyone despised and disregarded her. Everyone except Sora, Kairi, and Roxas himself.

Sora and Kairi were the only ones who made Naminé feel truly welcome in Twilight Town. They were always eager to make new friends. Roxas, however, always held back.

It wasn't that Roxas didn't like Naminé; it was just that he was quite shy around people he didn't know very well. Roxas and Naminé exchanged a few words everyday, but nothing more.

Roxas continued to watch Naminé from the corner of his eye. Naminé seemed to have isolated herself from the world around her. She always seemed to be cut off from everything around her when she was drawing.

Why, Roxas wondered, did Naminé choose to waste her time drawing instead of finishing her schoolwork? She just allowed the opportunity to slip through her fingers, and yet, she didn't seem to have a care in the world. All she did was doodle in her sketchpad, and then when Kairi and Sora would ask her to hang out, Naminé would reply that she had homework. It wasn't that Roxas disapproved of that, but it was human nature to be curious.

Roxas supposed she planned to become an artist when she grew older. It wasn't that he thought lowly of her because of that, but he slightly disapproved of her intentions. Artists weren't very successful in life.

He himself wasn't sure what he wanted to be, but he wanted to be someone people looked up to and respected. It was a shame that Naminé would throw away everything just to become someone everyone would overlook.

He watched Naminé tuck a couple strands of blonde hair behind her ear, and then rub an area quietly on her paper with her yellow, star-shaped eraser. He could have sworn he saw the corner of her lips twitch in what seemed to be a faint smile before she closed her sketchpad.

He had never seen her drawings, even though he wondered curiously what her drawing style looked like. He had often wanted to ask her if he could see her art, but something would hold him back - his dignity and shyness.

Naminé turned her head in his direction and cocked her head slightly, giving him a clear view of both of her eyes. Her aquamarine eyes bore into him intently, and she smiled.

Roxas quickly turned his head, feeling his cheeks grow warm with mild heat. How was he supposed to comprehend the look he saw in Naminé's eyes? She had been looking at him the way a musician would look at his instrument before playing it. Roxas couldn't help thinking that he wanted to be the instrument she played.

A shrill shriek erupted through the classroom, and the sudden, loud noise made Roxas straighten and gasp softly, alarmed and alert. But he realized it was only the school bell.

Roxas piled out with everyone else, careful not to look at Naminé again, afraid that he'd blush again or act stupid in front of her. Maybe that was his problem, he realized. Roxas got along with everyone quite fine, and wasn't one to be uncomfortable or shy around people he didn't know. But what was different about Naminé?

He always felt this strange warmth that surged through him whenever Naminé was nearby. It was as if he felt that Naminé was too good to be talking with someone like him. It was a weird feeling.

Roxas also felt that if he did something embarassing or something Naminé highly disapproved of, Naminé would think lowly of him. Normally, he didn't think like that around other people. If he was humiliated, he'd laugh it off and grin sheepishly. But Naminé...why was she so different?

"Roxas!"

"Huh?" Roxas looked up with surprise, only to smile as he watched Kairi and Sora walking towards him. Kairi's short, red hair bobbed slightly as she walked eagerly towards him, while Sora paced alongside her, his spiky, brown hair sticking out like the quills of a porcupine.

"Hey," Roxas said casually, smiling slightly as he raised his hand to wave weakly at his two friends.

"It was so boring today!" the brunette boy groaned.

Kairi laughed. "Isn't school always boring?" she grinned jokingly.

"Hm..." Sora scratched his head and pretended to make it seem as if thinking was hard work. "Guess you got a point." Sora grinned back at Kairi, and she laughed again.

Roxas laughed weakly, too busy thinking to laugh like he meant it. "Hey guys, have you - Augh!" Roxas grunted as he tripped over something on the ground. "Huh?" he said in confusion, regaining his balance and looking down at the ground to find the object that made him trip.

"... Naminé's backpack?" Roxas murmured, staring down at the small, lavendar backpack.

"Yeah. She asked us a while ago to watch her backpack while she went to the restroom," Kairi explained smoothly.

"Oh." Roxas frowned in puzzlement, folding his arms unknowingly. "But why didn't she take her backpack with her?"

"She has her sketchpad in there," Kairi explained patiently, gesturing to Naminé's backpack. "You know, she's always worried about something happening to her sketchpad." Kairi sighed a bit. "We're going to have to wait until Naminé comes back before walking home together."

Sora nodded his agreement. Kairi sat down on the grass, smoothing out her skirt before cupping her hands under her knees as she smiled with content, staring off into the distance. Sora sat down next to her, his arms behind his head, smiling widely with relaxation.

Soon, Kairi and Sora began to engage in a conversation, but their words were lost in Roxas's mind. Roxas glanced briefly at Naminé's backpack, noticing that it wasn't fully zipped. He peered through the slightly large crack that hadn't been zipped, his eyes widening slightly as his eyes caught sight of a ringed book with a creamy cover. Naminé's sketchpad!

His curiousity began to stir. What could possibly in the sketchpad that Naminé always carried around and drew in whenever she could?

Naminé had never shown her sketchpad to anyone, to Roxas's knowledge. Roxas always felt the urge to look at every single illustration that had been drawn by Naminé's artistic hand. But now that she was gone for the moment...it was almost more than he could bear to let the opportunity slip by.

What if Naminé caught him looking at her treasured sketchpad? What_ could_ she do, anyway? The least she could do was get angry at him and refuse to speak to him, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

He hated it when people became angry at him. It didn't happen very often, but when someone was upset with him, it left him guilty and uncomfortable. What if Naminé got angry at him and refused to speak to him forever?

Roxas sighed inwardly, finally succumbing in to his curiousity. Well, there's always a first time for everything, right? But he'd have to be very careful and quick, he decided.

Roxas quickly sneaked a glance around him. No one was paying attention, or even looking in his direction. Kairi and Sora were still chattering away, completely clueless about what Roxas intended to do.

Roxas leaned over quickly, carefully and quietly unzipping Naminé's backpack open partially, so there would have enough space for him to pluck her sketchpad from her backpack quickly without opening her backpack all the way. Hoping he hadn't drawn any attention to himself, Roxas slipped behind the tree Naminé's backpack had been resting against.

He carefully opened the sketchpad, staring at the first page. The first page was decorated with sparkling, golden stardust that rained delicately. Printed in lavendar through the center of the page were the words **Memoirs of an Artist.**

Roxas forced himself to stop staring at the page, reminding himself he had little time to look at each and every drawing. He turned the page, surprised to see a well-detailed and well-colored illustration of himself. He was sitting on the shoreline of the beach, his arms behind his head, a wide smile of content on his face.

The sounds around him were blocked from his mind, and all he could hear was the soft whisper as he turned each page, admiring each drawing. Some were left colorless, while others were neatly colored and shaded, but each was beautiful in their own way.

Naminé's most favorite subjects were Sora, Kairi, and himself. But he was surprised to see that most of the pages of the sketchpad were occupied with pictures of him. Was he really that interesting to draw?

Roxas was a bit flattered that Naminé bothered to draw him. He also doubted he looked that attractive, but Naminé made him look as if he weren't really...Roxas. Just a beautiful boy who merely looked like him, but wasn't. How could Naminé mix the worlds of fantasy and reality, yet deepen the beauty and grace that could be present only if you looked hard enough?

Roxas turned the page, his eyes enlarging a bit in surprise as he found himself staring at a page full of words instead of illustrations.

"_In the eyes of the ones who can not truly see, art is considered foolish and pointless. Artists are looked upon as senseless dreamers who waste their time living in fantasies rather than reality. However, I, Naminé, can see and understand what art truly is. Art is a world that only we artists can create...a world of beauty. A world of our own..._

_There is no such thing as reality and fantasies. Reality and fantasies are what we choose them to be. We artists choose them to be worlds we can explore, for this world we live in is small. There are more worlds out there, and we artists are the only ones who can explore those worlds._

_There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. One sky, one destiny..."_

Roxas's jaw hung slightly, his eyes widening slightly as those words registered into his mind. How could he have never known? He instantly felt a mixture of guilt and shame surge through his heart.

All this time, he had thought Naminé was wasting her time drawing when she should be concentrating on living in reality. He had never known...

He had always thought that art was completely useless and pointless. He had always believed that Naminé was better off focusing on this world - reality. But what he hadn't known was that Naminé created her own worlds through her art, worlds that shared the same sky and destiny as this world...

Was it true that there were other worlds out there? Worlds that surpassed reality? Worlds only artists alone could create?

Worlds that shared the same sky...the same sky, the same destiny...

Roxas snapped back into reality, realizing he had so little time left. He quickly peeked around the tree, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of Naminé. Relief overcame him as he realized Naminé wasn't back yet, and he looked back at her sketchpad.

After staring briefly at the page one last time, Roxas turned the page yet again, but this time, his hand left the corner of the page to fall limply by his side, and he stared at the illustration, his ocean blue eyes widening.

It was an illustration of Roxas and Naminé facing each other, and he could not tear his eyes away from the drawing. Roxas felt as if he had drifted away from reality and was exploring the beautiful fantasies that Naminé had always lived in.

The Naminé in the picture was wearing the white, sleeveless dress that Naminé herself frequently wore. Her dress seemingly glowed a dim, creamy light that made him draw his breath with astonishment. Naminé's blonde hair fell softly past her shoulders, framing her oval-shaped face. A slightly pink glow was present in her pale cheeks, and she wore a faint smile that seemed more real and beautiful than the smile Roxas was accustomed to seeing, a beautiful smile that reached her deep blue eyes.

The Roxas in the drawing was wearing the light and creamy attire he frequently wore. His blond-brown hair stuck up slightly with a graceful air, and a happy smile spread across his face that seemed to lighten up his aquamarine eyes. Every detail of the two was perfect and beautiful, but he was concentrating more on something else.

Naminé was reaching towards Roxas with a star-shaped object enclosed in her petite fingers. Roxas himself was not holding a star-shaped object, but the way his hand reached out to her seemed as if he were accepting the item she offered.

The star-shaped object was a Paopu fruit. There was a legend that the Paopu fruit had the power to intertwine two people's destinies.

Roxas recalled the quote of the legend clearly: _"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what."_

His finger traced the outline of the Paopu fruit gently, and he stared in wonder and bliss at the illustration. Then he fished inside his pocket, enclosing his fingers around a thin, wooden object, and he drew it out quickly. He bent his head over the sketchpad, smiling softly.

"Roxas?"

An almost silent gasp of surprise escaped his lips as his hand shot into his pocket and he slammed the sketchpad shut. His head snapped towards the source of the voice. His heart sank heavily with horror and dread as he stared back at the blonde girl.

"...Naminé..."

A faint tint of cherry stained his cheeks as he found himself swallowing hard, hoping she wouldn't get angry at him. To his relief and surprise, she smiled gently and cocked her head slightly as she studied him intently.

"Do you like my drawings...?" she whispered softly, clasping her hands silently behind her back shyly.

Roxas found himself nodding dumbly. The feeling was coming back into his body, since he was assured that she wouldn't clobber him. As he stared into her cerulean blue eyes, he realized he was seeing her in a new light.

She wasn't the strange, mysterious girl who hid behind her sketchpad and drifted off to the fantasy world instead of staying in reality. She was nothing but a true artist who created worlds that only she could explore, beautiful worlds of her own that surpassed reality. She was...Naminé.

Roxas couldn't help wondering if she would allow him to explore those worlds with her. He grinned weakly, while Naminé smiled back shyly. Naminé's eyes lowered a bit, and she smiled softly.

"Roxas...may I please have my sketchpad back?"

It was then he realized he was still clutching her sketchpad. Sheepishly, he handed it back to her, rising to his feet slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Thank you."

"...You're welcome..." Roxas stammered good-naturedly. Naminé smiled, clutching her sketchpad to her chest as she stared shyly at Roxas.

"Roxas! Naminé!"

They whirled slowly to see Kairi and Sora walking over to them. "So when are we going to walk home together? Christmas?" Kairi asked teasingly, placing her hands on her hips as she smiled at the two.

"Actually, Christmas isn't a long way off..." Roxas grinned back jokingly, grabbing his backpack. "But okay, let's go!"

**xXxXxXxXxX**

"See you tomorrow, Roxas!"

"See ya, Roxas."

"Yeah, bye Kairi, Sora." Roxas waved at them, watching them disappear into their houses. He turned to Naminé, who was still clutching her sketchpad. She stared timidly down at the ground, as if a bit embarassed and shy being alone with Roxas.

They all lived in the same neighborhood - him, Kairi, Sora, and Naminé. Kairi's, Sora's, and Roxas' houses were lined up on the same street, but Naminé's house was a block away from theirs.

"...B-Bye, Roxas. I'll see you tomorrow..." Naminé stammered softly, blushing a bit. She looked so innocent and sweet when she blushed and smiled and stuttered like that, it made him smile too.

"Want me to walk you home, Naminé?" Roxas asked suddenly. Roxas immediately turned away and blushed slightly, clasping his hands behind his back and fiddling with his fingers.

Naminé blinked, clearly taken back by his offer. She regained her composure, gazing shyly down at her feet. "...O-Okay..." she murmured.

They began to walk down the sidewalk together, side by side, a thoughtful, timid silence clinging onto the empty silence. Roxas cleared his throat, trying to start a conversation.

"Uhh...You draw...very nice, Naminé..." Great way to start a conversation, Roxas, he sighed inwardly.

"...Thank you."

Roxas turned his head to the side slightly, blushing a bit. Why was it that he always felt this way around her? Shy, timid, uncomfortable yet comfortable...so not like himself?

Naminé smiled faintly as she glanced over at the part of his cheek she could see from her view, which was as pink as the skin of a baby pig.

"Um." Roxas stopped to turn back. "We just passed by your house..." He stared at the small house that was painted with a light color that resembled her lavendar backpack. Bushes of different kinds of flowers were planted into her front yard. Star-shaped dots, seemingly Paopu fruits, decorated the sidewalk all the way to her front door.

Was Naminé such a firm believer in fate and destiny and the legend of the Paopu fruit? Roxas smiled to himself. He wasn't sure he believed it, but he liked the idea of it. And if there was only one person he could share it with, he knew it would be...

"Oh!" Naminé disrupted his thoughts as she glanced back as well. She blushed sheepishly. "Y-You're right..."

A sheepish aura clung onto the shy silence as they headed down the sidewalk to the lavendar house. Naminé stopped, standing timidly on her front yard.

"Um...thank you, Roxas...for walking me home..."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, Naminé."

"...B-Bye..." Naminé smiled weakly, unknowningly tightening her hold on her sketchpad as she watched his retreating back. She opened her sketchpad silently, flipping quietly to the page that she had left off at. Relieved that her sketchpad was the same as it had always been, she turned the page, expecting to see the illustration she had just drawn today.

A barely audible gasp escaped her lips as her aquamarine eyes widened in shock, shimmering with glistening tears of bliss. A small smile crept across her lips as she stared at the Paopu fruit that had been drawn in Roxas' hand, feeling as if Roxas himself had swept her in a warm embrace.

Naminé closed her sketchpad, feeling a single tear slide down her cheek. Her legs began to move with a will of their own, rushing hurriedly after the boy she had always loved.

"Roxas..." she whispered quietly, as soon as she stopped within a very short distance from him.

"Yeah?" Roxas turned, only to gasp softly as her small body collided into his and her petite arms threw themselves around him. His blue eyes widened as he tilted his head slightly, enough to see Naminé's blissful face buried slightly in his shoulder. "...Naminé..."

"Roxas..." she managed to muster, her slightly choked voice muffled lightly because her face was buried a bit in his shoulder. "Thank you...for appreciating..."

Roxas didn't know whether she was grateful because he appreciated her art, or appreciated her. But perhaps she meant...both.

How could he not? Roxas smiled faintly, wrapping his arms around Naminé's small form, relishing in the soft and tender touch of her warm body.

"You're welcome."

Roxas remained thoughtful for a moment, his aquamarine eyes softening, before continuing, "Naminé, I want to explore these worlds with you...these worlds that you alone created. And I want you to know even though most people overlook you and see you as a nobody...you're not a nobody; you're a somebody. Always have been, always will be."

Another tear trickled down Naminé's cheek, only to sink softly into the fabric of his shirt. She whispered softly, "Thank you, Roxas."

Naminé clutched her sketchpad tightly as she tightened her hold on Roxas, staring over his shoulder and at the illustration of the two offering each other Paopu fruits. A droplet of water slid down her cheek once more as she smiled.

Perhaps the legend of the Paopu fruit is true after all. True, they didn't share a Paopu fruit at all, but they didn't need to. Because they knew that no matter where they go, they'll always be a part of each others' lives. Isn't that what love is?

Naminé and Roxas both parted from their embrace at the same time, smiling softly as they took each other's hand. Roxas looked off into the distance to have one last glimspe of the setting sun, and Naminé's eyes followed suit.

The sun was slowly sinking over the horizon, but the last flash of light it sent out at the two cast a golden glow that created bright yellow highlights in their hair, bathing them both in the illuminance. Roxas squeezed her hand gently, his lips parting to speak his final words.

"I want to line the pieces up...yours and mine..."


End file.
